Your Obsession With Avocados May Send You to the Hospital

by
VIVIAN MANNING-SCHAFFEL May 17, 2017

Vivian Manning-Schaffel

Vivian Manning-Schaffel is a journalist, essayist, senior copywriter and rabblerouser who lives and works in Brooklyn, N.Y. A contributing editor at Working Mother and Time Out New York Kids, her work has also been featured in US Weekly, CBS Watch!, Parents, Parenting, The New York Times and The New York Post.

When an avocado craving hits hard, the only thing standing between you and your satisfaction is that pesky, brown seed in the middle (or the aptly named pit). But before you break out the butcher knife to remove it, you might want to proceed with caution.

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Doctors on either side of the pond report that people are packing emergency rooms with “avocado hand.” Basically, avo enthusiasts everywhere are inflicting injuries on themselves while pitting their avocados. And we’re not just talking tiny cuts here: Some of these injuries have involved nerve and tendon damage, requiring surgery to repair.

Simon Eccles, secretary and former president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons, told The Times that he sees as many as “four patients a week” who come in with avocado hand. But the proof is in the avocado pudding. You can see the drama for yourself by visiting the #avocadoinjury hashtag on Instagram.

One instagrammer looks as if she’s having the time of her life, but she’s actually in the hospital having her hand stitched up after #avocadoinjury.

A post shared by Kayla Castillo (@kala_flower) on May 28, 2016 at 1:28pm PDT

She jokes: “My determination and patience came together today while trying to remove the stubborn pit from an avocado. #AvocadoInjury P.S.: Did not actually have a blast getting my hand stitched, but the joy of The Lord is upon me in all circumstances.”

But before you cry that you weren’t warned, never forget that one of America’s foremost dramatic actors Meryl Steep made headlines in 2012 with her own avocado hand saga.

But until that happens, don’t let the mistakes of your friends and role models keep you from eating this superfood. Avocados are packed healthy monounsaturated fats, fiber, potassium and folate as well as vitamins B-6, C and E. You can learn how to prepare an avocado the right way from videos like this one: